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1* AccidentalInnuendo: From "Ski Trip", there's this little gem.
2-->'''Trixie:''' I don't think Rose is ready for the d-word.
3* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation:
4** Is Jake a human who can turn into a dragon, or is he a dragon raised as a human? It's revealed in the episode "The Rotwood Files" Jake's ''true form'' is that of his ''dragon form'', because Sigmund Brock is shown to have created a chemical that can transform dragons back into their true form, which Rotwood used the last drop at the end to confirm his own suspicions about Jake’s identity. It's possible that when the Huntsclan became too dangerous of a threat, the dragons began to live as humans and used magic to delay their children's powers from emerging until they were old enough to be able to use their powers to protect themselves from the Huntsclan.
5** Rose's actions before and immediately after [[spoiler: her HeroicSacrifice]] could be subjected to this. When did she decide her course of action? [[SelfSacrificeScheme Right after she was blackmailed, before she got the Huntsman the Aztec Skulls in Jake's possession]], or was it a much more spur-of-the-moment thing, with her winging it throughout the battle? What did she mean when she told Jake she'd be okay? Is it that the safety of those she loves is all she needs to be at peace, or is it a lie to keep Jake calm? Also, why didn't she try to [[spoiler: exclude herself from her own wish]]? Was she under so much pressure that she never even realized that was an option, did she not think it was possible, or was she [[spoiler: suicidal]] to some degree?
6** How bad exactly were the Huntsclan? While no one denies their crimes (kidnapping Rose as a baby and raising her as a hunter by lying to her about her family, killing sentient creatures annually and so on), it should also be noted that magical creatures does represent an immense danger to everyone, the magical community and humanity alike (to the point that the clan that hunts them and advocates for their extermination is not considered by the dragons to be the greatest danger to the magical community (ranking at #4) but instead other magical creatures), even when the Huntsman obtained the crystal skulls to make a wish, he wished for the extermination of the magical creatures instead of some more selfish goal, so they could be considered as well-intentioned extremists in a grayer conflict.
7** The hunter academy students - racist villains who look forward to hunting magical creatures or child soldier tyke bombs?it is strongly implied that rose's recruitment(monitoring babies for dragon marks to kidnap and train them by telling them that their family died in a magical creature attack)was not unique but standard,even in a calmer environment most of them acted more like teenagers(like rose at school or the slayers who flirted with spike when he infiltrated there) and rose's desire showed multiple glowing dragon marks.
8* AngstWhatAngst: It becomes a plot point in "Being Human". Jake's season two TraumaCongaLine left him with the aftermath of [[spoiler:causing his parents to break up temporarily in the past (for a few hours), nearly seeing the Huntsman wipe out all magical creatures, Rose entering a new life where she doesn't remember him, and being absent from the school yearbook due to dragon duties]]. He's only really annoyed about the last one because he has one week of school left to make his mark and graduate on a high note. Then Haley takes over for a few days, due to Jake getting himself suspended on purpose, and nearly suffers a nervous breakdown. She points out that she can barely handle American Dragon duties, so Jake is doing the best he can. His wanting a few days off is damn reasonable considering anyone else would be badly traumatized. She even summarizes the TraumaCongaLine and calls out Lao Shi for being so inconsiderate. Not to mention that when [[spoiler:Jake is kidnapped, he's snarking the whole time rather than showing terror at Chang using him to resurrect the Dark Dragon]].
9* AssPull:
10** "Hong Kong Longs" has received at least some criticism for this. While Jake's photo of him and Rose is set up as a ChekhovsGun and a MementoMacGuffin as far back as "The Hunted", the fact that Jake had it on him during the climax of "Homecoming", and thus still exists in his [[spoiler: post-wish reality]] feels rather ungracefully implemented. Some also believe that it doesn't make sense that the photo could have [[spoiler: restored Rose's memories, because per the end of "Homecoming", her old life should no longer exist]].
11** The revelation in "Homecoming" that the Huntsclan has a clause in its bylaws that allows first year novices to quit. One, it comes completely out of nowhere. Two, based on how trapped Rose feels throughout the second season, it feels entirely out of character for the Huntsclan. Overall, it comes off as a poorly thought out cheat that the writers used to avoid [[spoiler: killing off two children on-screen]].
12* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic:
13** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8o3JrdPMNdQ The theme song]] has some pretty catchy moments. The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2ZcT312clo season 2 version]] (with most of the same lyrics but by Music/TheJonasBrothers) is even better.
14** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZariF3kVAwY Jake and Rose's theme]], which strikes just the right balance between melancholy and triumphant.
15* BaseBreakingCharacter: Trixie. Either she is one of the best and fun characters in the entire show (due to her quotes and her [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold kind heart]]) or she can be disliked for her JiveTurkey dialogue.
16* BrokenBase: Mainly concerning the permanent ArtEvolution the series had. Even amongst those who like it there's debates about certain redesigns, like the Oracle twins.
17* CantUnHearIt: Ever since ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' premiered (one month after this show came out), it became hard not to imagine Zuko and Katara in place of Jake and Rose, since they share the same voice actors.
18* CompleteMonster: [[BigBad The Huntsman]] is the leader of the magical creature poaching organization known as [[HunterOfMonsters the Huntsclan]] and ranked as the fourth greatest enemy of the magical community. [[FromNobodytoNightmare Once a timid apprentice mocked for his squeaky voice]], a meeting with a time-traveling Jake Long landed him in a pit, where a monster mauled him near to death. Physically and mentally damaged, he shed his former self and became something even his tormenters feared. As the years went on, he became the leader of the clan and would indoctrinate children in his academy to become his army to [[FantasticRacism wipe out magical creatures]] and humans who defend them. [[WouldHurtAChild Any student who failed to meet expectations would have to earn their place back by fighting a hungry kraken]]. When Rose was born with the Huntsclan birthmark that her family lacked, he personally kidnapped her and brainwashed her into believing in the Huntsclan's ideology to make her his apprentice. When she learned the truth, he threatened to kill her birth family if she didn’t aid him in his latest quest, capturing all of the Crystal Skulls to use their power to [[FinalSolution wipe out all magical creatures]]. Motivated by {{greed}} at best and hate at worst, the Huntsman was a threat to human and magical creature alike.
19* CrossesTheLineTwice: Rose being taken from her parents as a baby? Sounds Horrifying... but when they showed it on screen, it was basically just the Huntsman kicking down the door to the hospital, quickly yanking the baby out of its parent's arms and bolting. You almost expect him to say [[SayingSoundEffectsOutloud "Yoink!"]] as he takes her.
20* CrossoverShip
21** Jake with Ron from ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' is quite popular thanks to one artist. Ron and Jake surprisingly have a lot in common: They are both mystically powered beings (Ron has mystical monkey powers, Jake is the American Dragon), they both have BadassNormal [[ActionGirlfriend Action Girlfriends]] and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking they both have a]] [[RunningGag tendency to lose their]] [[ComedicUnderwearExposure pants in public]] (just look at the page images for the Funny pages of [[Funny/KimPossible each]] [[Funny/AmericanDragonJakeLong show]]). In addition to that, both shows have a scene where the aforementioned ActionGirlfriend is being beamed up, when Ron and Jake try to hold on to their hand, only to fail ([[Recap/KimPossibleS4E21Graduation Graduation Part 1]] in ''Kim Possible'', [[Recap/AmericanDragonJakeLongS02E20Homecoming Homecoming]] in ''American Dragon Jake Long'').
22** Fans would also ship Jake with the titular protagonist of ''WesternAnimation/TheLifeAndTimesOfJuniperLee'' due to [[BirdsofaFeather the chock full of similarities the pair share]].
23* CultClassic: While it never reached the length of episodes or the appeal of Disney's most popular animated series at the time, ''Kim Possible'', this series still has its devoted fans.
24* EnsembleDarkhorse
25** Despite only appearing in one episode, Vicky Fickling from the episode "Siren Says" has garnered quite the amount of fans and has a bit of fanart on Website/DeviantArt.
26** The Oracle Twins are bit recurring characters but they're popular, especially in their original designs.
27** [[AnIcePerson Ice-breathing]] ReasonableAuthorityFigure Kulde is pretty iconic for a character who appears in just four episodes.
28** Huntsgirl #18, the AffablyEvil FieryRedhead who develops a crush on Spud when he and Jake are undercover at the Huntsclan academy.
29** {{Goth}} and PomPomGirl couple Joshua and Tricia are pretty well-liked for [[{{Muggles}} non-magical]] {{one shot character}}s due to how cute they are in their sole episode.
30* FriendlyFandoms:
31** With ''WesternAnimation/RandyCunninghamNinthGradeNinja'', ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' and, yes, even ''WesternAnimation/TheLifeAndTimesOfJuniperLee'' due to their similar fantasy-based WakeUpGoToSchoolSaveTheWorld premise and protagonists.
32** They’ve also become this with ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' for the same reason.
33** They also have one with ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', due to the series most FanPreferredCouple being practically canon in here as the voice actors of [[Creator/DanteBasco Jake]] and [[Creator/MaeWhitman Rose]] voices Zuko and Katara respectively.
34** With ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'', as both works involve 13-year-old protagonists in the early 2000s, whose maternal family bloodline is blessed with the ability to transform into mystical animal beings. Both even have red as their ColorMotif (in clothing and forms). Fans of both works have pointed out the similarities between the two and have drawn some fanart and fics of them together.
35* GrowingTheBeard: The second season has been considered an improvement, thanks to a change in direction with [[WesternAnimation/KimPossible Steve Loter]]. The art style is the controversial part, though many dislikers don't actually ''hate'' it; they just wish they had either kept the original style or the season 2 style had always been the art style.
36* HarsherInHindsight:
37** Principal Decerto notes that Jake used to be a good student until recently. It's implied that his dragon duties were interrupting it, rather than Jake being lazy. Then Haley takes over American Dragon duties for a few days when Jake gets himself suspended. She ends up late for school on a regular basis, constantly exhausted, failing tests, and uncomfortable about lying to her father. She [[AscendedFridgeHorror realizes]] that Jake has been dealing with this ''since he became the American Dragon'' and calls out Lao Shi for pressuring him so much since if she can't even be an ace student then Jake is doing well. One can hope that Lao Shi (and the Council) will go easier on Jake during high school.
38** Even if it's not her character in that show, this wouldn't be [[WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse the last]] Disney cartoon series Creator/MaeWhitman would be involved in that would have one of its characters being raised by [[AbusiveParents an abusive uncle figure]] driven by his FantasticRacism towards magic and magical creatures [[spoiler:while planning [[FinalSolution the genocide of said magical creatures]], then turn out to not actually be the abused teen's uncle anyway, though in Philip Whittebane/Emperor Belos' case, it's because Hunter's a Grimwalker created by him rather than kidnapping him as a baby like the Huntsman did to Rose]].
39* HeartwarmingInHindsight: Jake's SelflessWish [[spoiler:for Rose to have a normal life ends up paying off in the motherload of KarmicJackpot and EarnYourHappyEnding in the SeriesFinale. Her real family moves to Hong Kong, which is coincidentally where the Dark Dragon enacts his EvilPlan against the Dark Council. Jake accidentally leaves behind the photo of him and Rose at the school dance, which reawakens her memory and fighting capability. She ends up being crucial in defeating the Dark Dragon and kisses Jake on remembering how she loved him]].
40* HesJustHiding: Many fans like to think that the two Huntsgirl trainees who were fighting over Spud during TheInfiltration washed out of the academy or quit before [[spoiler: Rose's curse wiped out the Huntsclan.]]
41* HilariousInHindsight
42** Creator/JohnDiMaggio playing [[WesternAnimation/AdventureTime the hero's talking dog companion]].
43** This show features a trio of cheerleaders whose names all end in "-acey" over a decade before the Disney film ''Film/Zombies2018'' did the same thing with a trio of antagonists nicknamed "The Acey's."
44* IdiosyncraticShipNaming: “[=JacuzziShipping=]” for Jake/Rose.
45* JustHereForGodzilla: At the time both shows aired, every ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' fan watched or at least knew of this show, too, because of a coincidental casting in Dante Basco's and Mae Whitman's roles that made watching their characters highly amusing on a meta level (enemies who were constantly shipped together vs. enemies who were canonical love interests, with the heroic-villainous roles completely reversed).
46* MemeticMutation:
47** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONtEYSrLZkM Ever wonder who'd win in a battle between Jake Long and Naruto?]]"
48** Brad's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dxo76seiwJw&ab_channel=ADoseOfDisNick reaction]] to the Krylock's disturbing transformation has been frequently used by real-life {{Nightmare Fetishist}}s.
49* {{Moe}}
50** Kara, the oracle who experiences negative (and sometimes downright horrifying) visions of the future without respite but still manages to be a GenkiGirl by cherishing the moments where she isn't having visions.
51** GirlyBruiser Rose, after her HeelFaceTurn early in season 2. As she and Jake get more cute dating moments, she learns some heartbreaking truths about her origins and gets the occasional funny line about her TykeBomb upbringing.
52** Silver, the GoodWithNumbers mermaid with an IronicFear of water.
53** SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl {{One Shot Character}}s Joshua and Tricia, due to both their SickeninglySweethearts moments early on and the sense of sadness and confusion Joshua feels when their relationship is temporarily ruined by CupidsArrow.
54* MoralEventHorizon: The Huntsman definitely crossed this line in "Homecoming", when to finally carry out his master plan of genocide against all magical creatures, he forces Rose to betray Jake and help him by threatening to kill her parents.
55* {{Narm}}[=/=]NarmCharm:
56** Speaking of the Huntsman, the scene where his voice changes. The music intensifying as he makes his vow to kill all dragons? Makes for a perfectly intimidating BigBad. The Huntsman pumping his fist in the air and roaring? Overkill. Showing his tormentors cowering in fear is awesome, though.
57* NightmareFuel: [[NightmareFuel/AmericanDragonJakeLong Now has its own page.]]
58* SugarWiki/NoProblemWithLicensedGames: The two video games this show got, ''Rise of the Huntsclan'' for UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance (a side-scrolling beat em up), and ''Attack of the Dark Dragon'' for the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS (a 2.5D platformer), were both fairly well-received. It helps that Creator/WayForwardTechnologies developed both.
59* OneTruePairing: While Jake has dated other girls through the series, [[OfficialCouple Jake/Rose]] is still the most celebrated and shipped couple, due to their [[DatingCatwoman intriguing history]] and [[StarCrossedLovers great chemistry]].
60* ParanoiaFuel: Apparently, the Huntsclan had [[spoiler:undercover agents working in the hospital where Rose was born, which is how they found her in the first place]]. To say nothing of the fact that [[spoiler:the Huntsman would later track down Rose's parents and threaten to kill them if she doesn't comply with his demands]].
61* PopularWithFurries: A show about humans turning into dragons? That's gonna appeal to a lot of reptile fans of the furry community. Specifically, Jake's dragon form from Season 1 is highly popular in Furaffinity and [[Rule34 other places]].
62* TheScrappy: Huntsboys #88 and #89. Veered into CreatorsPet territory after [[spoiler:the Huntsmen as a whole were killed off, but the two continued to appear anyway.]] Though they quit being Huntsmen at the last minute and weren't real Huntsmen in the first place.
63* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: In regards to the change in style for season two. Many liked the first season's designs and felt season two's changes were way too abrupt and tried too hard to match their character's personalities. Some major examples include the Oracle Twins, the Huntsman, Counselor Chang, Eli Pandarus, the Dark Dragon, and especially the dragon forms of Jake, Lao Shi, and Haley. Many prefer the second season's art design and its fluidity, but the first season's art style has just as many fans.
64* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter
65** Many still wonder the whereabouts of Rose's twin sister.
66** The Dark Dragon. We are given almost no backstory for him and learn almost nothing about him. It would've been interesting to see how he became so powerful, why he wants Jake on his side, and what his possible human form looks like. Come Season 2, he's treated like a GenericDoomsdayVillain. Many also felt as though he was not quite as powerful as he was made out to be. Furthering this is the fact that, according to WordOfGod, he was supposed to have an ''entire season'' as the BigBad.
67** Fred Nerk would've been an interesting rival/ally for Jake, but he only made one appearance. This is especially lame since WordOfGod originally promised that we'd see more of him.
68** Other than the Huntsmaster, Rose, #88, and #89, we never really met any Huntsclan members formally. That the other academy trainees never appear after their debut is particularly disappointing. This is due to how two huntgirls have crushes on Spud while he’s undercover and the students as a whole have some interesting TykeBomb moments while still having a few moments of acting like normal kids.
69** Eli Pandarus could've been a good recurring antagonist, especially once he became more ruthless. Unfortunately, he was only used a handful of times.
70** Yang Jake also could have been a good recurring antagonist. Him meeting Rose could have been interesting, at the least. He's only used in one episode, though, and it's implied that he's killed off at the end of that episode.
71** Similar to Fred Nerk, Nigel Thrall could've been a good ally or rival for Jake especially since they went to the same school but came from different magic lineages.
72** The Dragon Council had interesting designs and characterizations, however we only see them three times. This is especially baffling considering their role as the leaders of the world dragons.
73** While she got plenty of appearances and parts, there remain fans who wish that Susan Long had a dragon form of her own instead of being a MuggleBornOfMages.
74* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot:
75** Chang's role as a double agent only lasted a few episodes before she abruptly led Lao Shi into a trap.
76** The Dark Dragon's role in the series. Nothing ever comes from his desire to conquer the magical world, convince Jake to become his apprentice, or much else really. As mentioned above, he was originally going to have a whole season expanding his role.
77*** Related is the Dark Dragon's plan to gather an army of evil magical creatures to take back the world from humans. We never see any of his allies other than Chang, Bananas B, and his Shades. This would've provided a good opportunity to bring back some popular villains such as Pandarus, the Kelpie, Vicky, and the Gorgon Sisters who all could've been recruited.
78** Here's some interesting backstory that is not explored. What were the origins of the Dark Dragon and the Huntsclan? What is the history of the dragons, their shapeshifting abilities and their designated duty to protect the magical world?
79** The implications that Spud comes from a magical background (namely his great-grandfather possibly being a wizard) could’ve been expanded upon, especially after Spud admits in Season 2 that [[IJustWantToBeSpecial he dreams of being a magical hero like Jake]].
80** "Professor Rotwood's Thesis" could have had Rose react to her classmates pursuing the dragon she's after for a bounty. Instead, she only appears in the episode as Huntsgirl, and only briefly.
81** The Aztec Skulls, of which there were thirteen, were hyped up to be all-powerful artifacts capable of wiping out ''all'' magical creatures, which was the Huntsman's exact plan for them. They're only hinted at in two episodes and only later make three physical appearances, with him already having most of them. Like with the above-mentioned Dark Dragon, the Skulls were originally supposed to have an entire season dedicated to them.
82* UnnecessaryMakeover: While there's plenty of debate on the art style of season 2, one common argument is the redesign of Jake's dragon form. From a broad Western dragon appearance to a more slim and serpentine look, it's very common for people to bring up how they preferred Jake's season 1 design more. It's worth noting that when Jake was paired against ''Danny Phantom'' in the web series ''WebAnimation/DeathBattle'', Jake appears in his season 1 design (both human and dragon forms) even though Danny's ghost form keeps its season 2 design.
83* WhatCouldHaveBeen: As was noted earlier, the Dark Dragon was originally intended to have an entire season dedicated to him as the main villain which would flesh out his character and give his backstory.
84* TheWoobie:
85** Rose. Kidnapped at birth, lied to for her entire life about her family, and brainwashed into hating magical creatures as she's forced to live a life that she's implied to not enjoy even before she learns about Jake. Then, as she works as a double agent for Jake after her HeelFaceTurn, she constantly has to be worried about Jake's safety, as well as her own and her cover. Finally, just as it seems as though Jake can finally help her escape the Huntsclan and find her family, the Huntsman crushes those hopes and forces her into a position where she feels she must sacrifice herself to keep everyone else safe. Jake [[spoiler:makes a SelflessWish so that she ends up having a normal life, and much later, she remembers him]].
86** Jake has his moments, as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S92RAnTHu8c this video]] does a good job of showing just how much being the American Dragon costs him.
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